Step One Prewriting

Check out the cool video below, that helps explain prewriting, especially for those who are more visual learners. Both my kids learn via different methods, so I have to be creative in the ways I teach them.

So what exactly is prewriting? Basically it is all the things you think about, in any given day. Using all your senses, to expand your thoughts. Would the thought make a good writing topic? If yes, start to explore the idea a little bit more. Read about it, ask questions, observe, and listen.

There are several ways you can organize your thoughts: story maps, graphs, tables which is similar to a graph, diagram, outline, word cluster, list, or just jotting down your thoughts randomly. The last one is my personal favorite. I do better with things are a little less formal, and time consuming.

Through the Eyes of DJ

The next week, or so, I will be giving info, and tips for getting your 4th grader to enjoy writing. As some of you know, I have let my son DJ start his own blog, Through the Eyes of DJ. He asked me if he could have one, and at first I said no. He insisted it would be a good way for him to learn about writing. After I thought about it for a while, I could see some benefits to it. I told him he could have one, if he agreed to make it centered around his schooling. He has to do two writing assignments, designated by me, a week. The other days he can write about things he wants to. His goals for the fourth grade are to stay on topic, expand the topic idea, use end punctuation, and his best spelling. He learned very quickly that the system will tell him when something is spelled wrong, and look up the correct spelling. Towards the end of fourth grade, I will be introducing paragraphing, and basic outlining to his writing. Commas, and quotation marks, will come sometime during the year. Some of you have already visited his blog, followed, and even left him some comments. You will see me critique his writing, once the school year begins. I am not an expert writer, so if any of you can add constructive criticism to his writings, please feel free to do so. He does not not know typing rules yet, so you will notice the spacing errors, just bare with that, it will come in due time. He doesn't get a letter grade, for writing, he gets either needs improvement, satisfactory, or excellent.

If I see he is doing well, I will start to let him post his own Science projects, that he has done. I will see how it goes. You can watch his progress, and see him grow. I actually am so proud of him for thinking of it, and think others should try it with their homeschooled, and public school children. If you use blogspot it is free, and the possibilities are endless for them to write about.

Now lets talk about the steps in the writing process. The five steps are prewriting, drafting, revising, proofreading, and publishing. To me a lot of these are very similar in their process, and goal, but I will go over them starting tomorrow with step one prewriting.